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Sunrise Sports Team Update

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Friday, September 8, 2006 =>

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SE Michigan / SW Ontario Labor Day Racing MADNESS!!!!!!!

The Labor Day weekend was INCREDIBLE this year in SE Michigan / SW Ontario. In a 3 day span there were 4 HUGE criterium races all within a 25 mile radius, as well as full schedule of racing at the Velodrome. The Sunrise Sports team was OUT IN FORCE!

Saturday, September 2nd – Rochester, MI and Amherstberg, Ontario CANADA

Wow, there are a bunch of die hard bike racers on this team! I mean, it's all out, ALL THE TIME!!!

The team was at TWO races today!!! Rochester and Amherstburg, Canada!!!

For example, Dominic Zaccone was in full "Tour De Leelanau" training mode. He rode his bike the 50 miles from Canton to Rochester, then raced the combined 30/40+ race for an hour. He took it easy on Sunday and only did a 100 mile tempo ride, before racing again on Monday.

Rob Iser lined up for the 30/40+ race at Rochester, was at the front most of the race, then lined up for the Pro1/2 race!

Rune Duke raced the combined Women/Cat 5/Juniors race. Not a good combination! Rune immediately tangled with a bunch of Cat 5's who couldn't handle the very tight turn 1/turn 2 combination and went down. He finished the race then immediately lined up for the Cat 3 race!

Rune, Taylor Birmann and Tony Wieczorek all raced extremely well in their first Cat 3 race.

What can you say about Taylor, he was racing out of his mind! It was Taylor, Zach McBride (Priority Health) and Darrell Anderson (AAVC master) who animated the race. For about 10 laps up the hill on the back side, it was: Taylor attacks/Zach counters, Zach attacks/Taylor Counters, Taylor attacks/Zach counters, Zach attacks/Taylor Counters, Taylor attacks/Zach counters, Zach attacks/Taylor Counters, Darrell attacks (he got in a couple good digs), etc, etc, etc. Then with 2 laps to go there was a prime. I found myself in front as we came down the finishing stretch with Taylor on my wheel. I told him to go for it, which he did, and then just kept going….

2007 team member Darrell Anderson driving a breakaway in the Cat 3 race!

I only meant for him to go for the prime! 

Anyway, Taylor gets a great gap and puts in the monster solo ride for 1 2/3 laps, only just getting caught before the very last turn. It took 5 Wolverines working hard to bring him back. I was nearly dropped at this point and just barely hung on up the final climb. Taylor grabbed the leaders wheels as they caught him and was able to contest the sprint and ended up placing 7th.

In the Rochester Pro1/2 race Andy Weir , Rob Iser and Jason Brake took the line. When the dust settled, Jason hung in for 13th in what is only his 2nd Pro1/2 race.

rob Iser in a short-lived break with Jim Bruce of the Ford/Giant/AAVC team

What about Alex Keomany??? John Rigdon , Alex and Mark Caswell headed over to Amherstburg Canada for the Ontario Provincial Championships. The Pro1/2 field over there was about 75 riders with 2 Canadian pro teams, Ital Pasta and Jet Fuel Coffee (they make a great mention of the Amherstburg/Windsor/Detroit triple header in their TEAM BLOG ), along with every other top amateur from Ontario!

By only ½ way through the race already nearly 30 guys had been dropped. It was single file all the way. A crash neutralized the race and it was stopped for 15 minutes. After the restart the pros went to the front and turned five 34mph laps in a row. Two words "Darko Ficko" (check out this SITE!). For those who don't know, this guy is a legendary crit rider from Toronto who can turn a 56x11 for several laps in a row.

Alex was the only Sunrise guy to hang in and placed 22nd in a field that was down to about 30 riders by the finish! Awesome ride Alex!!!

FULL RESULTS ARE HERE

Sunday, September 3rd – Tour Di Via Italia, Windsor, Ontario CANADA

Incredible!

Sunday 9/3 was the Tour Di Via Italia

HEART AND SOUL OF BIKE RACING!!!

So, before we get on to the others, humor me here. JOE LEKOVISH PLACED 5TH in the Masters 40+!!!!

YEEEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! (thank you Howard Dean)

Yea! $100CN - CASH MONEY BAYBEEEEE!!!!

A fist full of dollars – Cash payout for 5th in the masters 40+

This was one of those races where you're pushed right to the limit and I had to bridge to the break and it took everything I had and I dangled just 5 meters off their back wheels into the headwind and just closed the gap right before I blew up. I bridged to a group of 14 and we took off from the pack of 50 and never looked back. There's more to the story, and if you're interested, ask me, I'll talk you're ear off.

In the other races, Kudos to Dominick Wieczorek for hanging tough in the Masters 30+/Sr III/Master B combined race. He was banging heads with Many CatI/II/s. Junior team member Ryan Buermann also raced and hung tough finishing 15th.

Ryan also went to the line in the Juniors race and took 2nd. Awesome. Tony Wieczorek. raced very well and placed 8th. Great job guys.

However, the real heros were Mark Caswell, John Rigdon, Alex Keomany, Jason Brake and Andy Weir for lining up in the Pro1/2 race. This was 100km crit!!!! It's so INCREEDIBLY fast, you gotta see it to believe it. Think 30mph for 2 hours and some laps hitting 40mph!!!

Yea, it's fast! 3 Canadian pro teams, Texas Roadhouse, So many Wolverine Sports Club CatI/II’s they’re coming out your ears, 9 time TDF finisher Frankie Andreu racing and showing great form. The field was 102 riders and they went (Pardon my French) balls to the walls for the whole race!!!

The finish was 10 riders across the line elbow to elbow and unfortunately it was 15 riders trying to squeeze into that space, so 5 of them ended up on their arses! Going down were Ben Renkema and 4 Canadians. Incredibly, no one was seriously hurt.

Hometown hero Daniele DeFrancheschi of the Hooters Cycling Team (yes I said Hooters!) took the win for the first victory by a Windsor racer in nearly 30 years!

WHAT A RACE!!!

Full results are HERE

A bevvy of BLUE bicycles (say that 3 times fast!) at the Tour Di Via Italia

Wives, kids, dogs and racers - the team tent at the Tour Di Via Italia

Monday, September 4th – Rock City Criterium, Auburn Hills, Michigan

The Labor Day Triple Header ended with the Rock City Criterium. In the Jrs race Rune Duke, Ryan and Tony Wieczorek put on a great show of teamwork to secure the Michigan Challenge Series Overall for Rune. Tony even rode off the front on a solo break for 3-4 laps before being overhauled on the last lap. Tony's gutsy move earned him the accolades of the announcer and the crowd and I swear, people were practically lined up after the race to shake his hand and tell him how (pardon my French) ballsy his move was!!! What a great moment!!!

On the last lap Ryan broke away and looked to be set to solo in when Chris Brinkman (Saturn of Toledo/Shell) shot out of the pack like a rocket and caught Ryan, then outsprinted him in the final 50 meters. Rune sprinted well to take 4th, ahead of Cory Dubrish of the WSC and secured the OVERALL in the Michigan Challenge Series. Great job RUNE!!!

The Cat 3 team raced very aggressively. Craig Rice immediately dropped the hammer and rode off the front at the gun. Ryan Buermann was in several break attempts. Dominick Zaccone was actually in the winning break of 3. He got dropped on the very tough uphill/headwind section going for a prime. At that point we should have reeled in the 2 rider break and I kind of take fault for not doing more to organize a chase and bring the guys back. So, 2 Canadians stayed out front and took 1-2. Dominick made a gutsy move to nearly take 3rd, but was caught just before the line. Ryan, Matt Scott and Dominick all placed in the money. Craig Rice unfortunately flatted.

Lining up for the Pro1/2/3's were John Rigdon, Mark Caswell, Rob Iser, Alex Keomany, Jason Brake, Matt Scott and Rich Stark. After the aggressive racing of the previous two days, this event turned into complete TORTURE for many Cat I/II’s. The course featured a short incline, which was made more difficult by a headwind coming down it. The result??? Guys were getting sprung off the back of this 0.8 mile circuit within 10 minutes of the 90 min + 2 lap race.

Despite racing the Cat 3 race earlier, Matt Scott hung tough and placed the best for the team in 24th. What a tough day! The win went to promising Michigan U23 racer, Ben Renkema of the West Michigan Coast Riders team, who just 2 weeks before won the Cat 2 Challenge at Downers Grove (with Sunrise Sports team member Jeff Hamilton taking 2nd!) . Way to go Ben!!!

Full results are HERE

Ben Renkema of the West Michigan Coast Riders wins the Rock City Criterium!

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MORE PICTURES

Funny how the Italian flag is the highest? - Tour Di Via Italia

Start of the Pro race - Tour Di Via Italia

The winning break begins to form, 2 Priority Health, 1 Ital Pasta & 1 Texas Roadhouse - Tour Di Via Italia

>...and here comes the PACK!

“You HOOKED ME!!!!” Ben Renkema unloads after crashing in the last 10 meters - Tour Di Via Italia

"Faster than Stage 14 of the 1995 Tour De France is what I think!" Frankie Andreu gives the report to his wife and son - Tour Di Via Italia

Tony W. takes off on his late race solo breakaway - Rock City Criterium

Joe Lekovish flatted in the Cat 3 race - Rock City Criterium

.....jeez! What now? - Rock City Criterium

.....and he's back in the race - Rock City Criterium

See you on the road!